BrandInsight

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Residents of two rural communities in the Southwest face limited options to obtain convenient medical care after services were completely or partially shuttered. The Cochise Regional Hospital, the only one serving the Arizona border city of Douglas, closed Friday after losing Medicare funding weeks ago. The Crownpoint Health Care Facility in northwestern New Mexico recently reopened its emergency room but has been without labor and delivery services for months. Both of the 25-bed hospitals served communities of about 20,000 people, who now must drive farther to get health care.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut health officials say mosquitoes trapped in Waterford are the first in the state to test positive for West Nile virus this year. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station announced on Friday that mosquitoes caught in Waterford on July 20 tested positive for the virus. Officials are urging people to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, including minimizing time outdoors between dusk and dawn, wearing long sleeves and long pants while outside and using mosquito repellant. Six Connecticut residents in Fairfield and New Haven counties were infected with West Nile virus last year. There have been no human cases this year. West Nile is transmitted to humans by infected mosquito

BEREA, Ohio — Browns general manager Ray Farmer remains in Johnny Manziel’s corner, even though the 22nd overall pick in last year’s NFL draft is on track to ride the bench behind a veteran journeyman for the second consecutive season. There is little evidence Manziel can succeed in the league after his disastrous rookie season. He led the offense to just three points in six quarters as a starter, then spent more than 10 weeks this offseason in a rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addiction treatment. Now all signs point to Manziel, 22, serving as Josh McCown’s backup when the Browns open the regular season Sept. 13 against the New York Jets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband paid close to $44 million in federal taxes since 2007 and she is "excellent physical condition" — two facts that emerged Friday in a flood of disclosures about the Democratic presidential candidate pushed out by her campaign on a busy summer day. Within a three-hour period, the State Department made public more than 2,200 pages of emails sent from Clinton's personal account, her campaign released a letter from her personal doctor about her health and she unveiled eight years of tax returns. Meanwhile, Clinton herself was campaigning at the annual meeting of the National Urban League and calling for an end of the nation's trade embargo of Cuba during a speech in Miami.

NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government says health care facilities should stop using Hospira's Symbiq medication infusion pump because of its vulnerability to hacking. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it's the first time it has warned caregivers to stop using a product because of a cybersecurity risk. It comes at a time of rising concerns about breaches of products that connect to the Internet. A week ago, automaker Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million vehicles because of a flaw that made them vulnerable to hackers. The FDA says the computerized pumps could be accessed remotely through a hospital's network, but it doesn't know of any cases where that has happened.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Dr. Howard Jones, who pioneered in vitro fertilization in the United States, died Friday at a Virginia hospital surrounded by family. Eastern Virginia Medical School said Jones died of respiratory failure. He was 104. The work of Jones and his late wife, Dr. Georgeanna Jones, at EVMS led to the nation's first child born as a result of in vitro fertilization in 1981. Since then, more than 5 million births have stemmed from in vitro fertilization around the world. The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine at EVMS is named in honor of the Joneses. For several years, families who had children with the institute's help were invited to join the couple at a Mother's Day celebration.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina House Republicans are seeking an audit of Planned Parenthood clinics in the state as Congress considers cutting off federal funding to the abortion provider. Twenty-six Republicans have signed a letter asking the Legislative Audit Council to review any taxpayer money provided to Planned Parenthood's clinics in Columbia and Charleston. Its author, Rep. Garry Smith, said Friday he's also asking the House Legislative Oversight Committee to hold public hearings. The requests follow the release of videos, secretly taped by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, showing Planned Parenthood officials elsewhere discussing the collection of fetal organs for research.

NEW YORK (AP) — A third person with Legionnaires' disease has died as New York City investigators search for the source of an outbreak that has sickened dozens. A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) says 11 more people have been hospitalized in the South Bronx since Thursday. On Friday, investigators found legionella bacteria at the Opera House Hotel in the Bronx. Previously the bacteria had been found in equipment at a local hospital and a complex that contains a movie theater. De Blasio spokesman Peter Kadushin says the third person killed was a middle-age man with prior health conditions. The man had been hospitalized. Legionnaires' disease is caused when water tainted with a certain bacteri

Two powerhouses of country music, with a long list of No. 1 hits and major music awards, will perform at Downstream Casino and Resort. Travis Tritt The soul of African-American gospel choirs and the spirit of Southern rock found their way into Travis Tritt’s style. Inspired by the bends, curls and sweeps of the choirs and by the soulful chords of the Allman Brothers Band, according to a biography from the Grand Ole Opry, Tritt changed up the style he had been used to singing since childhood. His first commercial success happened in 1989, with the release of “Country Club.” The song “Help Me Hold On” reached No. 1 on U.S. country charts, and the album went platinum two times. He eventually became one of the mov

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — States need to be given more flexibility in how they administer child nutrition programs as the funding bill comes up for renewal this fall, U.S. Sen. John Boozman said Friday. The Republican lawmaker said he was confident Congress would reauthorize or temporarily extend the Child Nutrition Act before the measure expires on Sept. 30. Boozman sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which takes up the legislation. The five-year legislation funds a host of programs, including summer meals and national school lunches. After touring a summer feeding program at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library in Little Rock, Boozman said the law needs to allow more flexibility in how children are served th

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's physician said Friday that the Democratic presidential candidate is in "excellent physical condition" and has completely recovered from the effects of a concussion she suffered in 2012, pronouncing her "fit to serve as president of the United States." Clinton is the first 2016 presidential candidate to release her health records. The details came in a two-page letter from Dr. Lisa Bardack, an internist and chairman of the department of medicine at the Mount Kisco Medical Group near Clinton's suburban New York home. Clinton sustained the concussion in December 2012 after fainting, which Bardack attributed to stomach virus and dehydration.

RED WING, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a girl crashed an SUV into a Red Wing nursing home. The Post-Bulletin reported Friday (http://bit.ly/1guLihm) that police said the girl crashed the vehicle into the side of Seminary Home around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, causing heavy damage to the building. The girl then drove off. Her father later notified police of the incident. The room that was hit in the crash wasn't occupied and no one was hurt. Police declined to release any further information to the newspaper, including the girl's age, because she's a juvenile. ___ Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.

DENVER (AP) — In a story July 30 about a debate over adding fluoride to public drinking water, The Associated Press misspelled the last name of the director for the Fluoride Action Network. His name is Paul Connett, not Paul Commett. A corrected version of the story is below: Fluoride debate hits Colorado's largest water utility Fluoride debate hits Colorado's largest water utility as governor weighs in By IVAN MORENO Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Colorado's largest supplier of public drinking water is in the midst of a debate over how much fluoride — if any — to put into its delivery system after the federal government announced new standards in April.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore reached a grim milestone on Friday, three months after riots erupted in response to the death of Freddie Gray in police custody: With 45 homicides in July, the city has seen more bloodshed in a single month than it has in 43 years. Police reported three deaths — two men shot Thursday and one on Friday. The men died at local hospitals. With their deaths, this year's homicides reached 189, far outpacing the 119 killings by July's end in 2014. Nonfatal shootings have soared to 366, compared to 200 by the same date last year. July's total was the worst since the city recorded 45 killings in August 1972, according to The Baltimore Sun.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Providence officials are warning dog owners that canine parvovirus is spreading around the city. Police say outbreaks of the virus were reported in the Wanskuck area of Providence in July and have spread to other areas. Veterinarians say canine parvovirus, or "parvo," weakens dogs' immune systems and causes them to become more susceptible to infection. Symptoms of the virus include vomiting and diarrhea that can lead to possibly fatal dehydration in some cases. Officials say parvo doesn't affect humans or other pets but can be severe in dogs that are not immune or have not been vaccinated. Police say the best strategy is to vaccinate dogs against the virus because other treatments can be

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials have closed the beach at a popular park near downtown Des Moines because there's elevated levels of E. coli in the water. The city's parks and recreation department said Friday that the beach at Gray's Lake Park is closed due to the bacteria levels. No swimming will be allowed until further notice. Boat rentals are also not available and people are prohibited from bringing personal watercraft to the lake.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan would become the first state to allow medical marijuana for children with severe autism if a senior official follows the recommendation made Friday by an advisory panel. The state's Medical Marijuana Review Panel voted 4-2 to recommend autism as a condition that qualifies for the drug. Supporters say oil extracted from marijuana and swallowed has been effective in controlling extreme physical behavior by kids with severe autism. Pot wouldn't be smoked. The panel was influenced by comments received earlier from some Detroit-area doctors, especially the head of pediatric neurology at Children's Hospital of Michigan, and parents desperate for relief. Many of the three dozen spectators cheer

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Pennsylvania hospital employee has been indicted on charges he performed flawed genetic tests on 124 late-stage cancer patients and then lied about it. Federal prosecutors in Harrisburg said Friday that 60-year-old Floyd Benko, of Palmyra, has been charged with health care fraud and making false statements. Court documents say Benko failed to perform the gene mutation tests correctly and lied to administrators at Hershey Medical Center about how he conducted the tests. The tests help doctors formulate treatment plans. Hershey officials have said the faulty tests affected the treatment plans of about a dozen patients. Benko surrendered Friday. He pleaded not guilty and was re

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton has made 11 picks to a health care task force that will study MNsure and MinnesotaCare and make recommendations for their future direction. Dayton's selections Friday will serve on a panel along with picks made by legislative leaders. The task force will begin meeting in August and must submit a report in January. Lawmakers established the task force to get expert opinions on how to change the health insurance exchange and public health care programs to make them more efficient and sustainable. Dayton's appointees include chief executive of the Minnesota Council on Health Plans Jim Schowalter and Allina Health CEO Dr. Penny Wheeler. Doctors, other health professionals and commun

NEW YORK (AP) — The special guests at U2's concert Thursday night included Paul Simon, Lou Reed's widow and the woman who called 911 when Bono fell off his bike in New York City last year. Simon joined U2 onstage at Madison Square Garden to sing some of his song, "Mother and Child Reunion." Before Bono kicked off the tune, he pointed out that Simon was in the crowd, and the audience roared as Simon entered the stage. Bono also noted that Reed's widow, musician Laurie Anderson, was in the audience of 20,000. The band performed Reed's "Satellite of Love" as a video of the late icon singing the song appeared onscreen.